JO'C

There are actually only two types of people in this world; those who think there are only two types of people and those who don't. I already have a hybrid, a Taylor T5 that I bought when they first came out in 2005, way ahead of the curve.

Hoyt Axton wrote Joy to the World and Never been to Spain. Also Ringo's No No song and Steppenwolf's The Pusher. He pumped out lots of tunes and not all of them were turds.

Based on the sticker in the f-hole and if the serial# starts with a 7 (hard to be sure from photo) it's a 1970, 1971 or 1972 with a walnut top, although it looks like someone hand wrote a '74 date on the sticker, not normal. These go for $3000-$5000 depending on condition and how many parts have been swapped out. Depending on what they are, having the original pickups could increase value. Pickups affect value more than swapped out tuners. Sitting for 45 years would also decrease the value depending on environment it was stored in as well as neck and electronics integrity.

Maybe not. Not sure if Burns went under or what but Brian also worked with Guild for a while and he then went to BMG his own brand, Brian May Guitars.

Burns is the brand of the Brian May Red Special.

Check this out: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mark-knopfler-guitar-collection-fetches-211511648.html Some crazy money spent here. $873K for a '59 LP, I guess a bit over the going rate but $746K for the 1983 '59 Historic Reissue that Money for Nothing was recorded with seems outrageous. $524K for the Schecter Tele used to record Walk of Life... etc. At least he gave 25% to charities.

I read an article saying it may be worth $5 million, tying Elvis' 1968 red Hagstrom Viking for the most valuable guitar. Most of us think a '59 burst LP is the Holy Grail. How did a bass and a modestly regarded Swedish electric get to the top. I guess a good argument that the famous owner's provenance does matter. At least if they're extremely famous.

Vey nice! Thanks for sharing. I love Walter's playing and that classic Strat tone. I'm glad he has gotten through his health issues and is back on track.

Lots of red flags in your pics. Shape of headstock looks off. It is rounded in the top center whereas a Gibson is more pointed. Tuning pegs are misaligned as well as incorrect. A fancy LP with Custom diamond headstock inlay would have a bound headstock as well. As you mentioned no nibs and wrong inlays. An LP Custom style guitar would also have an ebony fretboard. This one looks like rosewood. Bridge is wrong. Serial number looks like one used on many counterfeits. They tend to use the same serial number over and over. If real the guitar would date to 2000. Remove truss rod cover if you can. A Gibson would have a nut over the truss rod screw. An allen head instead of a nut would conclusively prove it's a fake.

So.. I didn't realize that the 325 has a plastic plate holding the pots. So you won't need a dental mirror. Just remove the screws to the plate so you can see the pot codes.

My go to source for Gibson serial# decoding indicates 1972-1975 which was a really messed up era for Gibson serial#'s. I don't think you'll get the year from just the serial#. See if you can get a dental mirror in the f-hole to get a date code off one of the pots. I have a '69 ES-335 that could have been 1966 or 1969 based on the serial#. A pot date code was late 1968 making 1966 impossible so 1969 was confirmed.

I'll add to the Rory love with There are quite a few videos of this on YouTube and they actually sound quite good. Amazing power trio. They weren't Cream but in many ways just as good, as each player was phenomenal. I saw Rory in the fall of '76, my freshman year at college. He was opening for Dave Mason at the Lowell (MA) Auditorium where I was going to school. Scored a couple of 5th row seats for $5 each. Rory came out on the stage with his flannel shirt and jeans, looking like a regular guy. Played an unbelievable show and it was amazing that so much music could come from just 3 guys. I wished it would never end, but it did. Then Dave Mason came out dressed like Jesus with the white gown and sandals. That's all I remember about Dave. I guess he was alright but I had just seen a performance that is still in my top 5 concert experiences of all time for me. Which leads me to this This album was recorded at The Montreux Jazz Festival. Others have already put up the Allmans at Fillmore East and Outlaws Bring it Back Alive, two of my favorite live albums of all time and Albert Live ranks right up there with them. My favorite cut though is As the Years Go Passing By. In the middle of the song Albert barks out "Go Buck" and this amazing guitar solo follows. It stills haunts me to this day, a blues solos that goes against the grain of a typical blues solo with magical results. Years later I found out that "Buck" was Rory Gallagher. So cool. Great thread! Brings back lots of blasts from the past.

Serial # suggests 1973, before the 3 point bridge change.

Very nice, thanks for posting. I really enjoy seeing the megastars when they were youngins. It's funny how the cameramen were not really in tune to what was going on back in those days. Showing what the guitar players were doing wasn't the focus, so we get to see the drummer tapping along during the guitar solo instead of getting to study the player's phrasings. Similar in the Woodstock movie when Santana was wailing away on Soul Sacrifice and they were showing the drummer. At least they showed Alvin Lee a lot on Goin' Home, my favorite part of the movie.

The Custom Made plaque is used to cover the holes from the stop tail piece when a Bigsby is added. I've seen many of them but never one with the maple leafs. Maybe a special run for one of the Canadian music store chains? I have a 1999 LP Classic that has a Limited Edition (not maple leaf) in the same spot on the back of the headstock. It's just a black Classic with no special appointments other than the Limited Edition decal. I contacted Gibson to inquire and they couldn't/wouldn't tell me anything why it was a limited edition. Looks like a steal for $1000. I hope you solve the mystery.

I always wanted a Byrdland because of the short scale but the prices are crazy. I had a '65 ES-330 and it had the regular Gibson scale length but less upper fret access which made the neck look shorter. I had a 1957 Fender Musicmaster for many years. It had the 23 1/2" scale and I loved it. I could do Albert King-like bends with ease. It only took a couple of minutes to get used to the shorter scale. These days I play a Taylor GS Mini Acoustic Bass which also has the 23 1/2" scale, which is really strange for a bass, but it works nicely other than lack of upper fret access. Plugged in it sounds just like an electric bass.

Hello Chris, The guitar is from the 70's. Gibson changed from the orange oval stickers to the white and orange rectangular stickers in 1970. They also started stamping "Made in USA" on the back of the headstock starting in 1970, so that's the oldest it could be. Unfortunately this was an erratic time period for Gibson serial numbers. My source for serial number identification puts your serial number in either 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975. So only 1973 can be ruled out in the first half of that decade as those serial numbers start with an 8. What I can see from the case also puts it in this same period.

Hello T Snipes, Can't see any pics of the guitar but I see a couple of red flags. First of all, LP Customs were Gibson USA in 2001, not Custom Shop unless it was s special model or custom order. I've had quite a few Custom Shop Gibsons with that type of COA. All of mine had a serial number starting with CS. The S/N on your COA is nonsensical for a 2001 LP Custom. Does the guitar have "Made in USA" stamped on the back of the headstock? A 2001 Gibson USA LP Custom S/N should start with a zero and the 5th digit should be a 1. It would have originally come with a brown case with pink interior. I had 2 Custom Shop LPs from that era; a 2000 and a 2003. Both came with the Custom Art and Historic case but both had serial numbers starting with CS. I had about 6 guitars with the same style COA. All of them had the model# handwritten and the serial number stamped, whereas yours has both stamped. I'm not claiming to be an expert but to me it looks like something is off with the serial number and/or case.

Hello ides, Money-wise the trade would make sense. Long term the resale value of the Johnny A will likely be higher. I had a 2003 Johnny A Custom S/N 024 from the first production run. It was the only production model that had the same top (Gingerburst Quilt) as the original prototype made for Johnny. I sold it a few years ago for double what I paid for it. The spruce tops are very rare. I would be surprised if they even made 100. And even more rare with no f-holes and a stop tail piece. That said, the reason I sold it is that I couldn't bond with it. I've had 6 Les Pauls over the years, 5 of them Custom Shop. I currently have a 1969 ES-335 and a 2004 CS-336. I also have had quite a few Strats and still have one. The Johnny A has a 25 1/2" scale length, same as a Strat while most Gibsons have 24 3/4". I can switch between a regular Gibson and a Strat with no issues. The Johnny A is just different. I found the neck to be weird to play so after a few years I decided to move on. It could just be my personal preference in a neck. Otherwise it is a fantastic guitar, great tone, craftsmanship and looks. So I would suggest you play it or at least another Johnny A before making the trade. If you like the feel and playability the trade would make sense to me. Good luck with your decision, JO'C

Tie thread or string to the shafts before you remove the nuts. Then you can pull the strings to get the pots back into the correct holes.

I had a 2003 Johnny A Custom from the first production run S/N JA 024 which also had the alligator case. I agree that the size is unique and no case for another guitar would be likely to work. I have a CS-336 which almost but not quite fit in a Les Paul case but won't due to the double cut. The Johnny A with the double Florentine cutaways and longer neck is a bit bigger still.

What I remember most about it was the way Howard made the announcement without a hint of emotion seemingly unaware of the significance of the moment.

Hi Marco, I have a 1969 ES-335 and I had a 1966 as well so I've done a lot of research on ES guitars from the late 1960's. Yours is not a 1967. It is from the early 1970's, likely a 1973 based on the serial number but Gibson serial numbers were really messed up in this time period so 1973 is not definite. Your photo of the back of the headstock clearly shows a volute at the top of the back of the neck. Volutes did not exist before mid 1970. Also the label inside the f-hole, purple and white rectangle, were started being used in late 1970. All 1960's Gibson ES models had an orange oval sticker inside the upper f-hole. Also there were no "Made in USA" stamped on the rear of the headstock in 1960's models. This also started in 1970. The only years with a six digit serial number starting with zero are 1967 and 1973. The volute, rectangular label and stamped "Made in USA" make 1967 impossible. The "2" stamped above the serial number indicates it was a factory second, most likely due to a finish flaw or some other minor cosmetic issue. There was no Custom Shop back then so it is likely a regular production model. If it was a custom order it is unlikely to be a factory second. The tuners and the trapeze tailpiece look to be not original. Looks to be in great shape for its age.

I think it's real. The front of the headstock and pick guard are exactly the same as mine.

A pic of the front of the headstock and one with the truss rod cover removed would help determine if it's a real Gibson. There should be a 5/16" nut on the end of the truss rod if it's a real Gibson. The serial# does look a bit strange since it has so many zeros. The pic is very small and I can't tell if the serial# is stamped into the wood or inked. I have a 1999 Classic and the serial# is inked with a 9 XXXX, with the 9 designating the year of production, 1999. Yours doesn't appear to follow the same format. Do you know what year it is supposed to be?